DEFAN’S FOR THE LOVE OF RIVERS FESTIVAL
Jay Jina, Hindu Chaplain at the University of Exeter Hindu Chaplaincy, and others from Devon’s Hindu Community and the Exeter Hindu Cultural Centre (EHCC) will be conducting Ganga Puja on the banks of the Exe on Sunday 23rd August. We will gather at 11am in Belle Isle Park and make our way to the river through the Willow trees along the banks. Alternatively, if access is limited here (there has been a lot of nettle growth), we will walk the short distance together to the unbound stretch of the Exe in Riverside Valley Park.
The Ganga Puja ceremony will include:
- Welcome: The philosophy of Living Water
- Preparing for the Puja: Inner Cleansing (Achamana)
- The Puja: Invocation of the Seven Rivers (Snana Mantra)
- Collective singing of the Ganga River Aarti with Diyas
- Recitation of Shanti Paath: Ecological Pledge
After the Ganga Puja, Joanna Scott, a Quaker from Exmouth Quakers, will be holding a time of Quaker Stillness and Reflection for around 40 minutes. We will then be enjoying a ‘bring and share’ picnic where there will be other reflections and practical information shared by those belonging to various traditions and nature organisations.
